A water caltrop vendor in Pingtung County has been receiving unwanted attention after a foreign tourist commented that the vendor appeared to be selling bats as food.
People are jumpy due to reports of the 2019 novel coronavirus, with rumors attributing its spread to Chinese eating bats and other wild animals, said the vendor, who asked to remain anonymous.
The rumors about his stall appeared to have started after the tourist mistook an image of a water caltrop on signage as being an image of a bat, he said.
Photo: Chen Yen-ting, Taipei Times
The fruit of the water caltrop curves downward on two sides, resembling the silhouette of a flying bat.
“I get shot even while lying down,” the vendor said, adding that it was not the first time that such confusion had occurred.
There are numerous sellers along 10km of Kanding Township’s (崁頂) Nanjhou Road, all of whom have signs featuring water caltrops, the vendor said.
Many foreign visitors are unfamiliar with the water caltrop — an aquatic plant native to temperate parts of Eurasia and Africa that has been cultivated in China and the Indian subcontinent.
In Taiwan, the plant is mostly grown in Tainan’s Guantian District (官田), but farmers set up shop in areas with many travelers, the vendor said, adding that the road was a great place for a stall because of its proximity to a highway that brings visitors from Taitung County and Pingtung’s Kenting National Park (墾丁國家公園).
“Now we can laugh about it, but every time there is news about bats, this type of confusion emerges,” the vendor said, adding that he hoped visitors would give the water caltrop a try.
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
STAY AWAY: An official said people should avoid disturbing snakes, as most do not actively attack humans, but would react defensively if threatened Taitung County authorities yesterday urged the public to stay vigilant and avoid disturbing snakes in the wild, following five reported snakebite cases in the county so far this year. Taitung County Fire Department secretary Lin Chien-cheng (林建誠) said two of the cases were in Donghe Township (東河) and involved the Taiwan habus, one person was bit by a Chinese pit viper near the South Link Railway and the remaining two were caused by unidentified snakes. He advised residents near fields to be cautious of snakes hiding in shady indoor areas, especially when entering or leaving their homes at night. In case of a
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
DIPLOMACY: It is Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo’s first visit to Taiwan since he took office last year, while Eswatini’s foreign minister is also paying a visit A delegation led by Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo arrived in Taiwan yesterday afternoon and is to visit President William Lai (賴清德) today. The delegation arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 4:55pm, and was greeted by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). It is Arevalo’s first trip to Taiwan since he took office last year, and following the visit, he is to travel to Japan to celebrate the 90th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Arevalo said at the airport that he is very glad to make the visit to Taiwan, adding that he brings an important message of responsibility
RSS